With its 18 towers, the basilica designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi has become a Barcelona landmark, and its facade has been added to the World Heritage List. The idea for the glass cross also came from Gaudi and the Sagrada Familia Foundation. It is to be placed on the 155 metre high Tower of Jesus Christ and offer visitors a unique view of the city. The church is due to be officially completed in 2026, ahead of the 100th anniversary of the famous architect's death.
How the cross is constructed
The construction for the cross is made of high-quality stainless steel (duplex), into which ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is poured The cross is clad in stone and ceramic and glazed with transparent and translucent glass panes, some of which are curved and pyramid-shaped.
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‘At the moment, we are producing the seven parts from which the cross will be assembled at our factory in Gundelfingen, Germany. Visitors can reach the four horizontal arms of the cross via a spiral staircase and look through the glazing at Barcelona,’ explained Jürgen Wax, Managing Director of Josef Gartner GmbH.
And Wax continues: ‘Placing such a glass cross weighing around 100 tonnes on a church tower is technically very challenging. After around 150 years of construction, our company will be placing the last component of the Sagrada Familia on top of the church spire. We have already built steel and glass bridges and roofs. But a walk-on cross made of steel and glass has of course never been built in this form before and will probably not be built again so soon. That's why the Sagrada Familia with our glass cross is likely to inspire people for centuries to come.’
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A sample of the glass has already been built in Barcelona and can be viewed. Once completed, the parts will be delivered to Barcelona one by one so that installation on the tower can begin in early summer.
